


Shadows and Curses

by danifly



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora's POV, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Catra (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Demons, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Lesbians with a happy ending, Light Angst, Light Glimbow, No Beta, Not too many tags because spoilers, Soccer Adora, Violence, catradora
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:29:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25892131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danifly/pseuds/danifly
Summary: Before I lost consciousness, I saw her hurry over to my side. Her maroon leather outfit wasn’t even the strangest thing about her I noticed. Nor was it the mismatched eyes or the dark, shoulder length mane that was her hair but the literal cat ears she had and the fact that this girl had short, fine fur covering most of her body was the last thing I needed to see to convince me that there definitely must have been something in that damn pizza.“Damn it. Hang on, Adora,” I heard before the dizzying sensation of being weightless finally made me pass out.ORAdora is the star forward at Bright Moon University who is happy with her normal life hanging with her friends Bow and Glimmer all while trying to keep her GPA up. But her life turns upside down when she's attacked one night by a strange shadow creature and is saved by someone she's never met in her life...and yet her rescuer seems to know her. Modern/College/Urban Fantasy AU. Updates weekly or earlier!
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 105





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome! This fic features Catradora of course! 
> 
> Also, if you are a fan of She-Ra but also like shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer this is probably right up your alley. 
> 
> I do not own She-Ra but am grateful to its creators and writers.

“Hurry up, Adora! We’re going to miss the bus!”

Shoving the last of a giant slice of pizza into my mouth, I did my best not to choke and grabbed my laptop bag while sliding out of the worn checkered fabric booth. I gave a quick wave to the owner, Anthony, who was closing up the restaurant for the night before slinging the bag over my shoulder and heading out the door to catch up with Glimmer and Bow.

As soon as she saw me emerge from the pizza place, Glimmer gave me an amused look and crossed her arms. “Really? Are you trying to choke out here in public? I don’t even know the Heimlich.”

“I do!” her boyfriend, Bow, called from a few feet away.

Glimmer’s response to him was to hold her hand against her forehead and sigh, though I knew my best friend well enough that it was obvious she was joking. “Don’t encourage her, Bow!”

I finished chewing and gave her a smirk. “Well, I _did_ win that donut-eating contest last summer. Pizza is no match for me.”

She finally relented and laughed while shaking her head. “You’re unstoppable. Come on, I think if we run, we can make it.”

And run we did. My old sneakers threatened to come untied as they beat down on the cracked pavement of the downtown sidewalks. I’m pretty sure anyone within a few blocks could hear our whoops and laughter as we hauled ass to the stop where the final bus of the evening would shuttle us back to our dorms at Bright Moon University.

When we finally made it, the bus was just pulling up to the curb. Glimmer was panting and Bow was holding his side—the two of them were still exhaling giggles. I wasn’t exactly winded as I reached into my bag for my wallet—daily training with the school soccer team tends to keep you in pretty decent shape—but just as the whoosh of the bus’s air brake filled the otherwise quiet night air, a cold panic started in my gut and quickly spread.

 _Shit._ “Guys, I gotta go back to Anthony’s!”

Bow raised an eyebrow. “What? Why?”

I continued to fish through my bag, but I knew exactly what had happened. “My wallet’s gone. I must have forgotten to grab it when we left.”

The doors of the bus slide open with a hiss.

Glimmer rolled her eyes. “Are you joking? You remembered to eat that last giant piece but forgot your wallet?”

“No way they’ll let you on without it, Adora. You know how Eddie is,” Bow said.

Oh I knew. Eddie had been driving the school shuttle for the last year or so since I’d been attending BMU. He was always in a bad mood and never let you board without your school ID, even if he’d seen you before and knew you went to college there.

I slumped my shoulders. _Well, this kind of blows._ “I need to go back. You guys go on without me.”

Glimmer’s annoyance disappeared—she just looked worried now. “Adora, it’s the last pickup.”

“Are you getting on or not?” Eddie’s gravelly voice barked from inside the bus. I knew he smoked while driving the bus sometimes—probably the reason it always smelled like cigarette smoke in there.

Glimmer and Bow both shifted uncomfortably. I decided to make the decision for them. “You two go ahead. I know you have that paper due tomorrow, Glimmer.”

She hesitated before answering. “You sure? What about you?”

Dragon Breath (Glimmer’s name for Eddie, not mine) yelled again. “Last chance! Then you three can walk back.”

I ignored him and put on a smile that was definitely happier than I was feeling. “Yeah! I’ll text Juliette or someone on the team.”

They exchanged worried glances before Bow nodded. “Text us when you get back?”

“Yep! See you guys later.” And then they were gone, leaving me alone on the curb struggling to avoid breathing in the cloud of exhaust that billowed around me. Once it cleared, I let out a long breath and a shiver went through me. My light running jacket was great for before and after practice and just walking around campus but on a late fall night in Bright Moon it barely kept me warm from the November chill that seemed to be settling in earlier with each night.

Shoving my hands in my pockets, I turned to face the direction of my destination. _Right. Just need to go back a few blocks and knock on the door. I’m sure Anthony is still there closing things up._ He’d give me my wallet, I’d text my coach, Juliette, and she’d come pick me up. Piece of cake.

_Man, cake sounds so good right now._

Bright Moon was definitely a college town, with lots of little shops, restaurants, and bars, most of which were closed or starting to close as I walked past them. I reached into my jeans pocket for my phone so I could text my coach only to find that it was also missing.

“Shit!” I breathed. _Must be some bad luck to leave my wallet and phone on the same night._ I scolded myself internally—this kind of thing rarely happened to me. I tried to keep track of my things, especially important things like a wallet and phone. _Not tonight apparently._

I broke into a jog and continued my trek, speeding by a few small crowds near one of the bars watching the end of a football game on the patio TV. Some of them hollered at me—a few unoriginal calls like “Run, Forrest!” among others. _You’d be running too if you lost your phone and your wallet!_

When I finally reached Anthony’s my heart sank. The security gate had been pulled down, the windows and inside the restaurant all dark.

“Hello?” I rapped on the door, rattling the “We’re Closed!” sign against the thick glass. “Is anyone there? Hello?!”

 _Shit shit shit._ I took a deep breath and tried not to panic. But seriously, I could not have had worse luck. I was alone in the city at night, a cold night at that, without my ID or money and with no phone to call for a ride. I could walk back to school but the university was at the top of a pretty steep hill and it would take me a couple hours at the very least.

 _Maybe I can ask one of those people at the bar if I could borrow their phone._ It was embarrassing but I didn’t have a lot of options.

Defeated, I turned around and began walking back to the bar where I saw the crowds.

Despite the crowds I had seen, the city seemed quieter than usual tonight. Maybe because it was a Monday, or maybe I was just used to having my friends or teammates with me whenever we went downtown. Still, the streetlights were a little dimmer than I was used to, the neon signs on the shops flickered more, and maybe it was just me but even the light chilly breeze seemed to carry _something_ on it.

And that’s when I heard it.

**“Adora.”**

I never believed in the supernatural and paranormal stuff was something I only watched in movies or read about. But the hiss that pierced the air sliced through all my thoughts and consciousness and left me feeling strangely empty. And sad…like all the hope in the world had been sucked up through this very creepy voice saying my name.

“Who’s there?” I called, stopping my steps and turning around in case someone was behind me. But there was no one.

The lights around me flickered and dimmed again.

“Okayyyyy,” I muttered to no one and forced myself to walk toward the bar again. I had made it maybe three steps before the voice spoke again, louder and far more menacing this time.

**“ADORA.”**

I broke into a run, my heart racing way faster than it normally would even with me running at full speed. Despite the cold, beads of sweat overflowed and ran down my temples. Either the pizza had been injected with some kind of hallucinogen or I had finally snapped from all the pressure of midterms and soccer. 

_Almost there. People will see me and I’ll use someone’s phone and everything will be okay._

And that would have been fine…if the bar that had been so packed moments earlier weren’t _completely empty._

I came to a halt, my breath coming out in shaky gasps. The streets were empty—not a soul to be seen anywhere.

The air around me suddenly got _very_ cold.

“H-hello?” I called, the lump forming in my throat making my voice smaller than I intended.

Then it struck. From the shadows of a nearby alley, a black mass seething with darkness and despair hurtled toward me—a singular bloodshot eye piloting. A single tendril dripping with a goopy liquid slung out at me, ripping through my jacket and latching on to my left side.

I screamed and fell to my knees, wincing as the pavement scrapped through my jeans and against my skin. I tried to struggle but the pain was too great, almost blinding. Out of instinct, my arms shot up to cover my head as I waited for this monster to take me.

It was fast, but _she_ was faster. At first there was only a blur as she leapt from atop the roof of one of the buildings, razor-sharp claws catching the faintest glint of the dimmed city lights before they tore into the creature. It roared in pain and tried to wrap dark tendrils around her but she deftly jumped backwards, summersaulting through the air like a freaking circus performer and avoiding the attack like it was the easiest feat ever. A scratchy laugh rang out. I’d never heard it before in my life but even through the intense pain I found it oddly comforting.

“That the best you’ve got you bitter old bitch?”

 _“Bitter old bitch”?_ What the hell was this thing and how did this girl know it was a _she?_

“Leave before this one gets shredded up, too,” the girl warned the monstrosity. But here’s where it gets even _stranger._ The freaking monster _actually_ _listened._ It let out a roar, which sounded more like something that was dying after already having died, and vanished into nothing.

At some point I realized my mouth was hanging open as I tried to process what had happened—what _was_ happening. The pain in my side had not subsided, in fact my entire left side was inflamed now, like a thousand white-hot needles had made it their mission to prick me at the same time over and over again.

A gust of warm air swept around me and the lights brightened. I could hear faraway shouts (the bar?). The city had somehow woken up after being unexplainably empty and dead right when that thing had shown up.

But the pain was getting worse. I also felt more tired than I remember feeling in a very long time, not even after the toughest practices. Unable to keep up the strength to stay kneeling I collapsed on my right side and tried to focus on breathing and staying awake.

_Need to…get to the bar. Have to call…Glimmer…Bow…someone._

Before I lost consciousness, I saw her hurry over to my side. Her maroon leather outfit wasn’t even the strangest thing about her I noticed. Nor was it the mismatched eyes or the dark, shoulder length mane that was her hair but the literal _cat ears_ she had and the fact that this girl had short, fine fur covering most of her body was the last thing I needed to see to convince me that there _definitely_ must have been something in that damn pizza.

“Damn it. Hang on, Adora,” I heard before the dizzying sensation of being weightless finally made me pass out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I think this is going to be a lot of fun. No beta here and I haven't written a fic in a while, so comments and constructive feedback are of course welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Floating. Nausea washed over me but then I was suddenly stationary and the urge to vomit faded. I think someone had been carrying me but I didn’t know where or who they were let alone why.

My side gave a dull throb, the memories of my encounter with that…creature surfacing. _No._ It had been something out of a nightmare. _Maybe I’m still in that nightmare?_ That _had_ to be it. Evil eyeball monsters didn’t exist and neither did cat girls with superhuman abilities.

“You idiot.” That voice again—familiar but only because I’d recently heard it. The words were flippant, harsh even but something about her tone was reassuring. Then, “Stay with me.”

The world was a blur, my vision refusing to adjust. Hushed voices and quiet footsteps surrounded me but they were muted and muffled. Gentle fingers gingerly touched the exposed skin of my injured side. There was a brief flash of pain and then I was floating again.

Everything was so dark. _Those shadows again._ Black, viscous matter poured over my arms and chest, threatening to consume me. A cold laugh rang out. Someone was sobbing.

**“Adora, no!”**

***

“Adora? Adora, are you up?” Glimmer’s trademark rapid (and impatient) knocks were a surefire way to wake even the deepest sleeper. I groaned and rolled over to face the annoyingly bright digits of my alarm clock.

**9:30.** _Ugh, I overslept._

“Be right there,” I called back before throwing the comforter off me. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I paused when I noticed the grey sleep shorts and white cotton t-shirt I was wearing. _I don’t remember changing._ Actually, I couldn’t remember getting back to my dorm room at all.

 _It couldn’t be._ I lifted up my shirt and felt under my ribs on my left side. Nothing. I walked over to the closet door where I had hung a long mirror. No scratch. No open wound. Nothing to indicate that I had been injured at all.

I tensed, the cold panic from the night before returning as I realized I could not connect the events of what happened to how I got back to my room. The monster had seemed so real, _she_ had seemed so real.

It had to have been a dream. There was literally no explanation for it…other than what I remembered. And that was insane.

Who was that girl? Why the hell did she have fur and cat ears? And more importantly, how did she know my name?

I pulled down my shirt and went to open the door. This being my second year at BMU, I got lucky and was able to score a single room to myself. Glimmer had a roommate whose name I couldn’t remember but she was rarely around and Glimmer usually stayed the night at Bow’s anyway.

Glimmer’s eyes had dark circles around them and she looked pretty worried. “Hey. Is everything okay?” I asked.

Her eyes widened. “‘Okay’? Adora where were you last night? You never texted to let Bow or me know that you got back okay.”

 _Shit. My phone and wallet._ I glanced back at my bed and nightstand, where my phone usually was. No phone. And then I froze. Just a few feet from my bed was my favorite red jacket. Sure enough, there was a very defined tear in the left side. _Like a freaking tentacle had punched through it maybe?_

It had _not_ been a dream. But that was _impossible._

“I uh…” I rubbed the back of my neck. “They’re still at Anthony’s. I gotta go into town and get them after class.”

“What?” Glimmer blinked a few times, probably in disbelief. “Then how did you get home?”

I couldn’t tell her the truth (if what I remember even was the truth)—that I had been attacked by a creature from a horror movie and saved by a cat girl. But I hated lying to my best friend. Still, it was probably for both our own good. Glimmer looked exhausted and I didn’t feel up to trying to explain this.

“I went to one of the bars and borrowed someone’s phone. Juliette picked me up,” I lied, watching her expression carefully to see if she bought it.

She didn’t say anything at first, just sort of stared at me, but then shook her head. “Okay. Well, Bow and I can go with you to get your stuff later if you want.”

 _Oh, no._ That probably wasn’t a good idea. What if that thing came back? What if it was waiting for me so it could finish what it started? I couldn’t put my friends at risk. “Uh, you look really tired, Glimmer. Maybe you should take the afternoon off to you know, rest.”

As though on cue, she yawned. “Ugh, sorry. I was up late working on that stupid history paper.” She looked me up and down. “Speaking of which, you should get dressed. We have bio in,” she pulled out her phone and read the time, “thirty minutes. You sure you’ll be okay going alone later?”

I gave her my best “ready to conquer the world” pose, though in hindsight I probably looked like an idiot doing that in my sleep clothes. “Psh, yeah! I’ll stop by your room after I get back. Or will you be at Bow’s tonight?”

“Nah. I’ll be in my room tonight,” she said. “Bow’s going to his dads’ later and there’s only so much history I can take in one week.”

I laughed. “Fair enough. I should probably jump in the shower. See you in a bit?”

“Want me to grab you a coffee?”

I let out a giant sigh of relief. Even if my night had ended weird, I could at least make an effort to start my day off normally. “Hell, yes. I’ll meet you there.”

***

“Adora!”

I pumped my arms hard, my legs a blur as I sped down the field to receive the pass. Once I had the ball, I threw in a few fakes to get around my teammate defending and got a shot directly on goal. The ball soared through the air and just grazed over the keeper’s fingertips before slotting into the back of the net. I grinned and wiped the sweat from my brow as one half of my team whooped and cheered. Some of the other girls on the opposing “team” laughed and most clapped their hands in support.

“Not bad, not bad. I want to see that play happen sooner next time,” Juliette called from the sidelines, clapping as well. She looked at her watch. “All right, bring it in ladies. We’ll end it early tonight.”

“Big date tonight, Coach?” I heard Heather, one of the midfielders, say as we jogged back to our bags and water bottles.

Juliette gave her a stern look. “That,” she said, “is none of your business. And yes.”

A few of the girls cheered again as I took a long drink from my bottle.

“See you all tomorrow night,” Juliette said after a brief pep talk before she officially ended practice. I grabbed my duffle bag and swung it over my shoulder before heading back in the direction of the dorms. Some of my teammates left in pairs or groups of three or four.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like them or they didn’t like me, but other than a love for soccer I didn’t have much else in common with them so we didn’t hang out very much outside of practice and games. 

I still didn’t have my phone but practice usually ended at 6:00 so I headed to the nearest stop to catch the next bus downtown. It was already dark as I walked through the nearby park, the fastest way I knew to get to the bus stop. Like most evenings around this time, the park was empty—most people were out getting dinner or like me, were finishing up practice for an extracurricular activity.

I stuck to the sidewalk that wound through the park under a few lampposts. The tall trees lining the edges of the path combined with the breeze made it a great place for running, studying, or just walking through. I kept my pace quicker than I normally would, however, just in case everything that had happened the night before _was_ real and there was another one of those monsters waiting for me in the darkness.

A stronger breeze swept through the park, rustling the trees and making the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I balled my hands into fists—I had never taken any self-defense classes but there was no way I was letting this thing get me again. But when I spun around there was no one. No shadows…or people for that matter. I was alone.

“Jesus, Adora,” I muttered. “Calm down. It’s just you. You and…” I looked up and sighed, “the trees.”

“Y’know, I don’t remember you talking to yourself this much. Is this a recent development?”

“AH!” I yelped and dropped my bag, fists at the ready. My heart raced. “W-who’s there?! Come out and-and face me you coward!”

Laughter rang out above me—that _same_ scratchy laugh. I peered up toward the trees and was met with two mismatched eyes staring right back at me—one a glowing blue, the other a brilliant yellow.

_No way._

“Did you hit your head last night and I just didn’t notice?” The voice gasped but her tone seemed more teasing than anything else. “You don’t have brain damage, do you? ‘Cuz I can’t fix that.”

“I don’t have _brain damage!”_ I yelled back, suddenly feeling very awkward shouting up at the sky. “N-now, show yourself!”

Another laugh, shorter this time. “Hold on, I’ll be right down. You look like an idiot talking to a tree.”

She was a blur as she jumped from the tree, her landing perfectly balanced and almost silent. _Maybe she’s a gymnast?_ I wanted to slap my own forehead. _You blockhead—she’s a_ cat _person for crying out loud. Like a literal cat._

Since I wasn’t being attacked or lying on the ground in pain, I was able to get a better look at her. She had a slender build but I could see the toned muscles on her arms and legs through the sleeveless leather outfit she wore. The ears were definitely also still there. Her upper cheeks and nose sported a dusting of freckles and she seemed to have this permanent half-grin on her face. By her relaxed stance I could see how confident she was. Honestly if the circumstances around us meeting had been different, I would have thought she was kind of cute, ears or no ears.

I took a deep breath and spoke slowly, trying to calm my strained nerves. _One thing at a time._ “How…how do you know my name? And what was that thing last night? Who are you?” _Guess the questions came out anyway._

She crossed her arms. “Which one do you want me to answer first? Also,” she said and scanned our surroundings. “This place isn’t going to be empty for long. We should move to a place where we can talk.”

No way. Last night was terrifying and I wasn’t leaving to go anywhere with this girl until things started making sense. I gestured at the empty park around us. “There’s no one here now and I want answers. Who. Are. You.”

She paused. It was only for a second but her crooked smile dropped for just a moment and her eyebrows arched up, almost like she was disappointed…or upset. “I’m Catra. But seriously, I saw a whole group of people on their way here from the food hall. So if you want answers, Princess, we gotta go now.”

“I need to go downtown,” I insisted. “I left some stuff at the pizza place.”

The smirk came back. “Oh, you mean _this_ stuff?” She tossed me a very familiar wallet and pulled my phone from her pocket. “Next time try not to leave your shit behind. What’s your password?” she asked, looking at the lock screen.

“Uh, what?”

She huffed. “Your password, idiot. So I can give you my numb—ugh, never mind let me try.” She bypassed the fingerprint step and tapped in my five-digit pin. I felt my mouth part a little in shock as the phone unlocked and she quickly tapped a few more times on the screen before handing the phone to me.

I stared at her, mouth open and gaping like a fish. “H-how did you know my password?”

She scoffed. “Well for one thing it’s the same damn number over and over again. I honestly thought you would have changed it.”

I could hear voices approaching. Catra had been telling the truth.

“Come on, we have to go,” she said, her voice lined with the slightest hint of urgency. “Your place or mine?”

My brain froze. I still wasn’t entirely sure I could trust this girl, never mind everything that had happened so far had made absolutely zero sense. But there was no way I could sneak a cat girl into my room without Glimmer or the RA seeing and possibly flipping out.

 _A cat girl I’m talking to now. The same one who saved your life from…whatever that was._ It was real. It had all been real.

“How do I know I can trust you?” I demanded.

Catra was ready with an answer this time. “You don’t. But you don’t have a lot of options right now.” She lowered her voice. “She’s got eyes everywhere and she _will_ find you again if we don’t get out of here _now.”_

That was enough for me. “Your place. But I’m watching you. Don’t even think about trying anything.”

That got a laugh out of her. “Oooh, I’m absolutely _trembling_ with fear right now. Follow me and stay close.” She offered me her hand. I could see the retracted black tips of the same claws she used to fight the monster. I bit my lip, hesitating before taking it. Her hand was warm but not clammy at all.

“Shall we?” she said. I nodded and she began leading me deeper into the trees toward the woods bordering the university.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this one mostly written so I thought I'd post it early. I will try to shoot for weekly updates but you might get a chapter or three early sometimes. Just depends on what's going on.
> 
> Thank you for reading and your support! Would love to read what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go. Warning, a bit of exposition ahead but it does set the stage for Things to happen. There will of course be lots of Catradora but Adora needs to know who she's dealing with first.

“This way. Watch your head—the branches grow really low here.”

I could barely see anything more than a few feet in front of me as my shoes crunched down on dead leaves and twigs. The smell of fresh pine and tree sap was strong. “Why are we in the woods? Where are you taking me?”

“Duh. To the log cabin I’m gonna kill you in,” Catra said. She must have felt me tense up because she quickly followed up with, “Oh my God, I’m _kidding._ My place is this way. It’s hidden so that _she_ can’t find it.”

“She? Who is _she?_ ”

But she just tugged me along. “Look, Adora, I promise everything will be explained when we get there. Okay?”

I fought down the urge to protest again, to demand answers from her. I still didn’t know if I could trust her. _Calm down. She already saved you once—why would she try to kill you now?_

“Down here.” Catra let go of my hand before I heard metal grating on metal. Despite my limited vision I could see a hole had opened up in the ground. A dim orange glow emanated from it.

“What’s that?” I asked, the small radius around us illuminating just enough that I could see her face. The faint light played off her already bright eyes making them stand out like beacons in the night.

She grinned and I caught a glimpse of what were very clearly pronounced canines, well… _fangs_ , I guess? Something else behind her was making the shadows move around us and it took me a minute to realize it was her _tail._

 _Of course she has a tail—why wouldn’t_ _she have a damn_ tail?

“Home sweet home, Princess.”

I rolled my eyes at the nickname. “Could we not, you know, make that a thing?”

She shrugged, apparently unbothered by my request. “Whatever. Come on, you first. Watch it, the ladder’s a bit old.”

I shuffled over to the hole, which looked more like a sewer entrance, and dangled one of my feet down until it came in contact with the grimy ladder. Once I had my footing I started my descent, the entire time going over in my head how crazy all of this was.

Somehow, I made it to the bottom without slipping. Catra followed me down, pulling the grate closed before descending herself, and walked past me muttering, “This way.”

I followed (because honestly what choice did I have at this point?) and we trudged through what was basically an underground concrete tunnel for a while. More dim orange lamps lit our way. Mud caked the floor, making my shoes sink in just enough to get that unsettling feeling of stepping in something gross.

“You um, you live in a sewer?” I finally said after we’d walked in silence for a few minutes.

“What do you think?”

I winced. It sounded weird but maybe this was her home and I’d offended her somehow? Did cat people live in the sewers? Was that normal? _No, none of this is normal._

As though she could read my mind, Catra spoke up again. “Hideouts work better when they’re, you know, hidden. Relax, dummy, we’re almost there.”

 _Okay._ “What is with the name-calling? What are you, five?”

She stopped. “We’re here,” she said, ignoring my question. From behind her I could see an outline in the concrete wall we had stopped in front of. She held her left palm against where the outlined wall met the rest of the tunnel and the wall _shifted._ There was a harsh grinding noise and the wall became a door, which opened, allowing us entry.

She glanced at me over her shoulder. “Time to meet some friends of mine—well, of _ours._ Uh, again…I guess.”

“Again?”

She sighed. “Just follow me.”

So I did. Stepping through the door led me into a massive circular room that had absolutely no business existing underneath Bright Moon University. The muddy concrete had changed to metal grating—we were on the second floor of what appeared to be a command center. Monitors covered the walls and in the center of the room was a large, round table with holograms hovering over it.

“What the hell?” I breathed, dropping my duffle bag to the floor as the door shut behind me.

A girl a bit older than me slid out from under the table and jumped to her feet before making her way toward us. A welding mask covered her face and there was definitely zero explanation on how she was able to use her incredibly long purple hair to move herself around the…whatever this was. _Catra called it a hideout._ But this place looked less like a hideout and more like a covert military operation.

“Wclm bk, Ctra!” The girl’s voice was muffled behind the mask.

Catra grumbled and crossed her arms. “Entrapta, for the last time, no one can understand you with that thing on.”

“Oh.” The mask flipped up, revealing a face with an eagerness matching the girl’s voice. “Sorry! Welcome back! Hey, Adora!”

I was at a loss for words at first seeing as how I had no memory of knowing this girl but she seemed to know me.

“Uh, Entrapta, the memory thing?” Catra said.

For a few really awkward seconds, “Entrapta” just stared at me. She seemed friendly but I got the slightest feeling of unease as she looked me up and down with vibrant eyes, like she wanted to dissect me or something. “Right!” she finally said, her suddenness making me jump a little. “Hey, Adora. That’s your name, in case you don’t remember. I’m Entrapta, scientist and inventor!”

“She handles the tech side of things and fixes our broken shit, too,” Catra added with a single gestural sweep of the room.

“Yes, that too!” Entrapta confirmed, her aggressively eager tone unwavering.

I held out my hand. The least I could do was be polite instead of standing there like the empty-headed idiot I’d felt like for the last hour. “Nice to meet…you,” I trailed off when Entrapta shook my hand with a tendril of her hair.

“Yes. Nice to meet you. Again?” Entrapta said before correcting herself. “Hm, that sounds strange to say.” She used her hair to pull out a small audio recorder and hit the record button. “Day 75. Adora has returned after losing her memory and I am experiencing an internal conflict on how to properly re-introduce myself—”

“Wait a second. Losing my memory?” I asked, turning to Catra. “What does that mean?”

Catra let out a low growl (at me or Entrapta, I didn’t know) and grabbed my hand again. “This way,” she said, leading me down another dark corridor.

Turned out the airy ceiling made the hideout appear bigger than it actually was. The other rooms were smaller and consisted of a few cramped bedrooms, a library with some very old looking books, and a room with weapons—staves, axes, swords, tasers—sitting on shelves.

I wanted to ask more questions. Did people actually sleep here? Why was there a room full of weapons? Why did I have a feeling the books on the shelves here couldn’t be found at Bright Moon’s public library? Why was I being shown any of this? But Catra hadn’t even answered my first batch of questions so I figured it was pointless to ask more.

We were about to turn a corner when a tall woman came around it first, nearly colliding with us.

“Whoops. Pardon me, Catra. Oh!” She beamed at me and once again I had absolutely no words.

 _What the hell is Glimmer’s_ mom _doing here?_ Angella had been like a second mother to me for all the years I’d known Glimmer. My parents had died in a car crash when I was a baby and I’d spent several years in the system before meeting Glimmer in elementary school. Growing up I think I spent more time at their house than at my own.

Her presence here was a really weird surprise, sure, but when was she ever going to tell me or Glimmer about the _giant_ _wings_ on her back? Did Glimmer know?

“Hello, Adora. Welcome back.” Angella turned her gaze back to Catra, her tone edging on worry. “Glimmer’s not here is she?”

“She’s back in her room,” Catra said. “She doesn’t know anything about this…unless Adora said something?” She shot me a warning glance but somehow I knew she was teasing again.

I finally found my voice again. “What could I have possibly said that could explain this?! None of this makes _any_ sense!”

“Oh dear,” Angella said, her hand moving to cover her mouth.

I was past fed up. “First, I get attacked. By a…whatever that was _,”_ I exclaimed, probably sounding like a lunatic as I blew up at the two of them.

“A leech,” Catra offered quietly and Angella nodded.

“Yes, a leech! Thank you!” I started to pace back and forth in the corridor. “And then _you,”_ I pointed at Catra, who raised an eyebrow at my accusatory finger, “show up out of nowhere, say you know me, and y-you…you’re a…a—”

“Magicat,” Angella chimed in.

“That! And you!” I snapped at my friend’s mother. “I thought you worked as like, an analyst or something but apparently you have wings and you’re here with _her_ and…oh my God, Glimmer’s gonna freak when she finds out you’re—” My tirade was interrupted when Angella swiftly stepped toward me and put her hands on my shoulders.

“Adora,” she said, her voice just as warm and kind as it had always been. Now that I’d finally shut up, I was suddenly very aware of how loud my heart was pounding. Breathing became a struggle.

“I-I don’t feel super great,” I admitted.

Angella smiled and gave my shoulders a gentle squeeze. “I understand, Adora. Come, let’s go see if Entrapta’s fixed the holotable. And try to take deep breaths, all right?”

***

“So, let me get this straight. There’s a soul-sucking shadow demon on the loose in Bright Moon?”

Angella nodded. She sat across from me; her hands folded neatly on top of the holotable, which looked like something out of a sci-fi movie or a video game but apparently it helped them track down these leeches. “Yes,” she said, her voice never straying from calmness. “Shadow Weaver is her name.”

I tried my best to digest the information as I recited it back to them, really I did. But it was still a lot to take in. Plus I couldn’t stop looking at those freaking wings. “And you’re actually an immortal angelic being who has been fighting this Shadow Weaver since…”

“Centuries,” Angella finished. “Once she was a great sorceress. But that was another life.” Regret flashed on her face for just a moment before her focus shifted back to me. “Shadow Weaver despises everything good and hopeful in the world and will do everything in her power to rob humanity of these things but she especially hates Bright Moon.”

“Why?” I asked, glancing around the table at the other attendees. Catra and Entrapta were seated next to Angella (though Entrapta was looking at some piece of tech and didn’t appear to be very invested in the conversation).

“Bright Moon is where we last fought in the open nearly a millennium ago.” Angella spoke with such somberness as though she were reliving a very painful memory. “She nearly won. Many princesses died trying to stop her.”

“Hold up. Princesses?”

“Not in the way you’re thinking. The princesses ruled their kingdoms yes, but they also had…have great powers as well. Entrapta, if you would please?”

Entrapta punched a few buttons on her device and a map of downtown Bright Moon came up over the table. It was intricately made, extremely detailed. I spotted Anthony’s from where I sat and the alley where the leech had attacked me.

“The battle lasted for weeks,” Angella continued as the map zoomed in underneath the city foundation. “In the end, we had no choice but to enact a terrible spell in order to stop Shadow Weaver. The magic we conjured would bind her to a prison deep beneath Bright Moon.”

I swallowed. I didn’t like where this was going. “Below here? You’re saying there’s an evil shadow demon overlor—overlady right below us?”

Catra gave a short laugh and for a weird brief moment I remember how much I had missed hearing it. “Actually, she’s under the gym at the university.” Entrapta nodded eagerly (a little too eagerly).

I shook my head. “I don’t understand. If you locked her up then why was the spell so terrible? And what does this have to do with me?”

“The spell came at a great price. Someone had to pay it and so the princesses did. They allowed themselves to be cursed—to forget everything they knew about being princesses and with that, the knowledge of their power. And so Bright Moon would be without its warriors for as long as Shadow Weaver was imprisoned,” Angella said.

“I mean, sure, it’s not like we’re sitting right here or anything,” Catra drawled. Entrapta paid them no mind.

I turned to her. “You’re not a…a princess?”

Another laugh. “Pft! Nah.” Catra leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on the table. “But I help out sometimes.”

Angella frowned at the pretty crappy display of manners but actually agreed with her. “Over time Shadow Weaver has been slowly breaking free of her prison. We’re not sure how, but we do know she’s been operating in Bright Moon, her powers a fraction of what they once were.” She gestured to Catra. “Catra here was her ward for a time—orphaned and taken in by Shadow Weaver’s operatives.”

“They’re called the Horde, and they can literally be anyone,” Catra said.

“So, you switched sides?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Something like that.”

“Her operatives lure people into her traps where she has her leeches feed on them. She takes their essence for herself and at best the victims walk away with no memory,” Angella explained.

A lump formed in my throat and I clenched my knees with sweaty palms. Even a telling of this Shadow Weaver creeped me the hell out. “And at worse?”

“You become soulless. Basically, a walking shell,” Catra finished and even she looked fearful at the prospect. “Forever.”

“So, you trapped her but only most of her. The rest of her is out and about and terrorizing Bright Moon? If you were on her side,” I said, looking at Catra, “why don’t you just go and finish her off? You know where she is don’t you?”

Catra gave a single head shake. “Not that simple. Those leeches create illusions and she uses those illusions to mask her hideouts. And the entrances are always changing. Even I don’t know how to get back in anymore.”

“And,” I turned to Angella, “Glimmer doesn’t know about any of this? Not even about the uh,” I made a series of awkward, vague hand gestures at the wings.

Angella chuckled. “Mm. No, I’m afraid not. Glimmer should actually be a princess you see, but the curse…and I’d rather she not find out. She has no powers and I won’t risk her life or give Shadow Weaver something to go after.”

 _Ah. Of course. Your best friend is the descendant of an immortal being and should be taking after some ancient warriors except she’s cursed because there’s a soul-sucking demon hanging out underneath the gym at BMU. Makes perfect sense. Oh, and the cat girl used to be bad but now she’s cool._ Out of nowhere I wondered how Coach Juliette’s date was going. A normal night sounded pretty nice right about now.

“And what about her?” I nodded at Entrapta.

“Oh, I used to work in the engineering department at BMU but then I met Angella and she got me set up down here!” Entrapta said brightly.

I sighed. “Fine. Let’s pretend for a second that you’re telling the truth and that this…whole _thing_ is actually happening. How do you,” I met Catra’s eyes, “know me?”

Catra looked to Angella like she was asking permission, and Angella simply smiled again. “See, that question’s actually not too hard but it wouldn’t have made any sense had I answered it before Sparkles’ mom did her thing.”

“It’s Glimmer, Catra, and we’ve been over this,” Angella scolded.

Catra grinned, baring one of her fangs. “Yeah, yeah.” She sat up straight in the chair—the way she was shifting in her seat made her seem like she was actually… _nervous?_ “Look, Adora, the truth is that you know me. You know all of us.”

 _Hah, right. I think I would remember a friend of mine having ears and a tail._ “That’s impossible. Before last night I had never seen you before in my life. How can I possibly know you?”

Catra leaned forward. “Angella recruited you a while back. Shadow Weaver…her operatives got to you, though. They used one of the leeches and…” she looked down, “they wiped your mind. Replaced it with fake memories.”

I thought my heart stopped for a minute there. _What?_

“You are a great warrior, Adora, and you are a valuable asset to this cause,” Angella said, not giving me time to react. “I know this is a great deal for you to take in but we need your help. Otherwise Bright Moon will be destroyed, and the world will not be far behind.

I couldn’t speak. This was a dream—it _had_ to be a dream. There was no such thing as shadow demons or cat people and best friends’ moms didn’t have wings and the world definitely wasn’t about to be pulled into some kind of war that would leave people soulless and without their minds. And yet there I was, listening and having seen most of this to be true through my own eyes.

_But you can’t remember any of it!_

I leaned back and ran my fingers through my pulled back blonde hair, which had come partially undone from soccer practice and the trip here.

“So,” I said after taking a long pause to try to absorb everything I’d been told, “what do you want from me, then?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! ^^


End file.
